Is it too early to think about holiday lights? Never.
It's going to take some work to get your facade outlined like a glowing gingerbread house, so let's get started. Or you can cover your boxwood balls in twinkly hair nets or put lanterns on a stoop. Here are our 11 top picks for 2015:
Above: A battery-powered Boxwood Net Light is suitable for both outdoors and in; it stretches like a hair net to fit a potted plant and is available in two sizes from Terrain; from $28 to $38 depending on size.
Above: A remote-controlled Indoor/Outdoor Flameless Pillar Candle is available in 10 sizes, at prices ranging from $19 to $59 apiece at Restoration Hardware.
Above: Tried and true, a 200-light White LED Light Set stretches 67 feet and is our pick for a facade. With a flexible cord and tightly spaced lights, it's lightweight and nicely outlines architectural features; $27.98 from Home Depot.
Above: To wrap around a banister or stoop railing, an LED Garland with white rice lights on a green cord is 111 feet long and rated for outdoor use; $148.99 from Lights for All Occasions.
Above: An extra-long, 50-foot cord of Plaza String Lights is rubberized to withstand weather; $299 from Rejuvenation.
Above: One of a kind, an Evergreen Themed Porch Fixture has a midcentury "Father Knows Best" style. Made of stamped steel and opal glass, it's $375 from Rejuvenation.
Above: A powder coated steel Lantern Lighthouse created for Normann Copenhagen is suited to outdoor use and has glass panels to prevent winter wind from blowing out a candle; €97 from Manufactum.
Above: Also available in white (from Finnish Design Shop), the LightHouse Lantern is based on Nordic design traditions, in which plain lines dominate; €92.
Above: A string of cafe-style lights on a clear wire is lit by LED fairy lights encased in each acrylic bulb. A 27-foot string of Warm White Fairy LED Lights is $33.49 from Lights for All Occasions.
Above: Built to stand up to the weather, a Bollard Oil Lamp has a teak base and ribbed glass jar. It burns standard lamp oil. "Hang it on a branch, rest it on a table or place it on the ground to achieve your desired effect," are the suggestions from Design Within Reach; $175.
Above: A Scandinavian tradition, Christmas candles in a window will cast a welcome glow on the street below. A set of two Hand Dipped Taper Candles is $8 from March.
For more holiday lighting ideas, see:
- Hardscaping 101: Holiday Lighting Safety Tips.
- 10 Easy Pieces: Outdoor Holiday String Lights.
- DIY: Botanical Ice Lanterns.
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